This invention relates generally to powered waste disposal units installed below kitchen sinks or the like and, more particularly, to means for ensuring safe use of such powered disposal units.
Kitchen sink installed waste or garbage disposal units within which waste material is ground by powered rotation of a cutting head, within a comminuting chamber of the unit axially spaced below and in axial alignment with the drain opening of the sink, are well known, as disclosed by way of example in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,879,949 to Jordan and 4,135,258 to Braga et al. Drain stoppers and strainers for sinks are also generally well known, as disclosed by way of example in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,166,273; 2,263,537; and 3,570,022 to Ulmer, Frederickson, and Mealy, respectively. The use of sink drain stoppers in association with waste or garbage disposal units installed therebelow are also well known, as disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,670,143 to Jordan and 2,879,949 to Jordan aforementioned. However, the disposal intake control arrangements associated with the related prior art arrangements, as aforementioned, are incapable of providing the necessary safety measure to prevent injury to a relatively small hand of a person, such as a child's hand, while attempting to force waste material into an operating powered disposal unit. The protective cap arrangements associated with the prior art arrangements, as aformentioned, serve only to reduce upward splashing of liquids and particles during the waste grinding operation and will not, for example, prevent a child from plunging his or her hand into the grinding blades of the disposal unit by removal of the cap, in order to ensure that the waste material is being ground up.
In the use of the conventional sink mounted garbage disposal unit, particularly by children and older people having diminished eyesight and limited use of the hands because of various handicaps and/or physical conditions, the displacement of food scraps and other waste materials into the disposer through the sink drain passage becomes a problem. The protective drain cap and/or strainer usually provided is often removed because of food scraps and other wastes that are blocked from entry into the drain passage. Such food scraps and waste material are then stuffed into the drain passage, often while the powered disposal unit is in operation, by use of the hands to create the aforementioned safety problem, particularly for children and elderly people unable to gauge unsafe entry distance of the hands into the drain passage which is in communication with the comminuting chamber of the disposal unit.
It is, therefore, an important object to provide a safety device for use in connection with sink mounted, powered disposal units which will overcome the aforementioned safety problems.
A further object of the present invention in accordance with the foregoing object is to provide a protective safety device which will enable all persons to utilize sink mounted disposal units without the aforementioned dangers attendant thereto.